Player to coach transition not easy

I spent most of my youth playing softball for Baker Park. By the time I finished playing at the age of 20 I had gotten pretty good. I still have my championship trophies from those years. My son Tavish proudly displays them on the shelves in his bedroom, right next to the medals he's earned playing for Woodview Park the past two seasons. He hasn't won a city championship yet but give him time.

During my playing days I had a number of coaches. They must have done something right because I lived and breathed softball for a good decade of my life. I only stopped because this little thing called life got in the way. I was forced to grow up, go to school, get a hair cut and finally get a real job. I thought my softball days were behind me but I was wrong.

Two summers ago Tavish asked to play for Woodview so I registered him. The moment he stepped onto the field for his very first practise I was hooked again. All the old thrills of playing came flooding back and I lived for Monday and Wednesday nights, Tavish's game days.

Tavish yucking it up when he should
have been practising his swing!

Whenever Tavish's coaches needed a hand I was there to help out. I rarely missed any of his games or practises and when he did well I was on cloud nine. Likewise, when Tavish struck out or muffed a play in the field I felt his pain.  I guess that's all part of being a parent.

This year Woodview needed a coach so Tav asked me if I would step up to the plate and volunteer. I agreed. Truth be told I wanted to be the coach and given my experience playing the game I figured I could do it. When I signed the dotted line in January I thought, "piece of cake" but next week the season starts and all of a sudden I'm thinking, "Gawd, I hope I don't screw this up."

Tomorrow is the team's first practise. We would have practised earlier but it's been so rainy the past week all the fields have been off limits. It's been AGONIZING waiting for this first practise. I'm literally freaking out inside because I want everything to go just as planned. Logically I know things will be fine but I'm still nervous and that's just not how I operate. Calm, cool and collected is how I usually roll.

It's my job to teach these kids how to play the game and to keep it fun. Maybe we'll win a few games, maybe we won't. There's so many unknowns at this point.

Tavish's looking forward to getting out there tomorrow. I should probably just take a page out of his book and chill out. After all we're talking about a bunch of nine and ten year olds, how hard could it be? We'll see tomorrow, we'll see tomorrow.